L calhoun



A ril 14, 1964 F. L. CALHOUN CONTROL APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1961 All" ,m Z VQ 1% A, M

Ap 1964 F. 1.. CALHOUN CONTROL APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed. March 6, 1961 April 14, 1964 F. L. CALHOUN CONTROL APPARATUS Filed March 6, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 (a y/gr -J Gwyarz/dr United States Patent 3,128,910 CONTROL APPARATUS Fredrick L. Calhoun, Torrance, Califi, assignor to Industrial Dynamics Company, Ltd., Los Angeles, Calif a corporation of California Filed Mar. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 93,629 Claims. (Cl. 222-40) This invention relates to a fluid dispensing apparatus and more particularly relates to means to terminate dispensing flow automatically in response to the dispensing of the fluid.

The invention has been initially embodied in means to control the dispensing flow of liquid fuel from a fuel pump to the fuel tank of an automotive vehicle. While such an automatic control may be incorporated in the factory construction of a service station fuel pump the invention has special utility as an accessory control unit that may be readily added to an existing conventional service station fuel pump. The disclosure herein of such an accessory unit by Way of example will provide adequate guidance for those skilled in the art who may have occasion to apply the same teaching to other specific puroses.

p A conventional service station fuel pump of the Widely prevalent type has a window displaying an up-counting counter to indicate gallons of fuel dispensed and a window displaying in up-counting counter to indicate the total cost of the dispensed fuel, a resetting mechanism being provided to restore both counters to their zero-indicating positions. A conventional pump is further provided with a dispensing nozzle on the end of a dispensing hose and the nozzle is provided with valve means to cut oif dispensing flow. The valve means on the nozzle is adapted to be opened manually and a latch member is provided on the nozzle which, if desired, may be used to hold the valve means in open position. In at least some of the pumps now in use, the valve means is further adapted to respond to the rising liquid level in a fuel tank into which the nozzle is inserted, the valve means automatically closing when the tank is full.

Whenever a customer orders a full tank of fuel the attendant inserts the dispensing nozzle into the customers fuel tank and latches the valve means open. The attendant is then free to leave the pump to perform other services since the valve means will cut off the flow of fuel automatically when the customers tank is full.

If all customers ordered full tanks of fuel, the service station attendant could operate. at top efliciency at all times. Most customers, however, want to spend a specific amount of money and simply state the amount of money in orderingthe fuel. To fill such an order the attendant holds the valve means open While closely observing the cost counter of the pump and closes the valve manually when the cost specified by the customer appears at the counter. Such an operation curtails the attendants efficiency and greatly reduces the number of cars he can service in a rush hour.

There is a need for an automatic control that will stop the operation of a fuel pump whenever a pre-selected total cost is reached in a dispensing operation and the need is especially pressing for an accessory control unit that may be added to the vast number of fuel pumps now in operation at service stations. The present disclosure of the invention includes both a purely mechanical embodiment and an electronic embodiment. Both of the embodiments meet this need and in doing so solve certain problems that are encountered in constructing such a unit.

One problem relates to the addition of a manually adjustable down-counting counter that may be adjusted to show a selected cost figure and that will cut off dispensing flow when it counts down to zero. It is highly desirable for simplicity and for other reasons to connect the additional down-counter to the existing up-counter on the pump for operation thereby, but manual adjustment of the down-counter in preparation for a dispensing operation must not affect the up-counter and, on the other hand, resetting of the up-counter must not affect the down-counter.

Another problem is to provide suitable means for termination of the dispensing flow when the down-counter of the unit reaches zero. The provision of such a means should entail minimum modification of the pump to which the accessory unit is applied.

The mechanical version of the invention meets these problems by combining clutch means with latch means and by providing a spring-driven actuator to terminate the fuel flow. A latch means prevents operation of the resetting means on the pump when the down-counter is at its zero position and thus assures that the downcounter Will be manually adjused in advance of the resetting of the conventional counters on the'pump in preparing for the dispensing operation. A normally engaged clutch for operatively connecting the down-counter of the unit with the tip-counters of the pump for actuation of the down-counter is responsive to the resetting operation to be disengaged automatically throughout the period of operation of the resetting mechanism. The disengagement of this clutch keeps the resetting operation from disturbing the adjustment of the down-counting counter. A second normally disengaged clutch releases the downcounting counter for manual adjustment prior to the operation of the resetting mechanism of the pump. This clutch becomes disengaged when the pump becomes automatically shut off.

To terminate dispensing flow the unit includes a springpowered actuator which is connected by a suitable cable to the conventional valve latch on the dispensing nozzle. Operating energy is stored in the actuator by operation of the resetting mechanism of the pump and the previously mentioned normally disengaged clutch is engaged by the same operation of the resetting mechanism. The above mentioned second clutch is controlled by this spring-powered actuator.

The operating cycle of the mechanical embodiment of the invention is as follows:

With the second clutch disengaged, the down-counting counter is manually adjusted according to the cost figure specified by the customer, the adjustment resulting in unlatching of the resetting mechanism. The attendant then operates the resetting mechanism with consequent disengagement of the first clutch to disconnect the downcounting counter throughout the resetting operation and with consequent cocking of the spring-powered actuator. The cocking of'the spring-powered actuator engages the second normally disengaged clutch to complete the operating connection between the up-counting counter of the pump and the down-counting counter of the unit.

The attendant then inserts the dispensing nozzle into the customers fuel tank, manually opens the valve means on the nozzle to start dispensing flow and latches the valve means in open position. When the down-counting counter of the unit driven by the up-counting counter of the pump returns to its Zero setting, it releases the springpowered actuator to permit the actuator to release the valve latch on the nozzle to terminate the dispensing flow. The spring-powered actuator simultaneously disengages the second clutch. to free the down-counting counter for the next dispensing operation.

The electronic embodiment of the invention includes apparatus which is associated with the gas pumps now in use such that a minimum amount of change has to be made in the gas pumps. Actually, only a plurality of r 3 black dots have to be added to the counter wheel providing an indication of the unit count of the amount of gas dispensed or providing an indication of the number of pennies in the dollar amount of gas dispensed. These.

black dots interrupt the circuit to a phototube, thereby causing a pulse to be introduced from the phototube to an electronic counter so as to advance the count in the counter by an integer. When the count in the counter reaches a particular value, an output signal is produced to operate the valve latch on the nozzle so as to prevent any further amount of gasoline from being dispensed.

The features and advantages of the invention may be understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a conventional gasoline pump for a service station, the pump being provided with an accessory counter embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view showing how the unit is operatively connected with the counter mechanism of the conventional pump and also showing how the unit is connected to a latch on the conventional dispensing nozzle;

FIGURE 3 is a view partly schematic, partly in side elevation and partly in section showing the details of the mechanism of the unit;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse section taken as indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 showing the down-counting counter, the associated sensing means and the springpowered actuator;

FIGURE 5 is a section along the line 55 of FIGURE 3 showing how a latch for the resetting mechanism is controlled by the sensing means, the latch being shown in its engaged position;

FIGURE 6 is a similar view showing the latch retracted by the sensing means;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a clutch-actuating disc as seen along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3, an associated convex disc being omitted;

FIGURE 8 is a greatly enlarged section of the swinging end of the spring-powered actuator showing a retractable latching plunger incorporated therein;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the down-counting counter showing one of the retractable pinions of the counter together with an associated leaf spring;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary, somewhat schematic view of a second embodiment of apparatus for actuating the latch when a pre-set amount of gasoline has been dispensed;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary, somewhat schematic view of a third embodiment of apparatus for actuating the latch when a pre-set amount of gasoline has been dispensed;

FIGURE 12 is a circuit diagram, partly in block form, of an electronic system constituting a second embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary, somewhat schematic view of a modification of the invention shown in the previous figures.

FIGURE 1 shows a conventional service station pump, generally designated P, for dispensing gasoline. The pump has the usual features including an up-counting counter 20 to indicate the gallons of fuel dispensed and an up-counter 2.2 that registers the cost in dollars and cents of a dispensed quantity of fuel. Both of these counters may be reset by the usual resetting mechanism which is operated by one revolution of a resetting crank 24. The pump has the usual dispensing hose 25 with a conventional dispensing nozzle 26 on the end of the hose.

In carrying out a dispensing operation the pump is placed into operation and the flow is controlled by the usual valve means on the nozzle 26. This valve means includes a valve handle 28 which is spring biased to seek the valve-closing position shown in FIGURE 2.

The valve handle may be aptly termed a control means for initiating and terminating dispensing flow. The dispensing nozzle 26 is further equipped with the usual latch member 30 for releasably holding the valve handle 28 in its retracted valve-opening position. The latch memher 39 is mounted on the usual pivot 32 and is formed with a pair of slots 34 that may be used selectively to engage the swinging end of the valve handle 28.

FIGURE 1 shows a selected embodiment of the present invention in the form of an accessory unit, generally designated U, mounted on the front of the pump in a position convenient for manipulation by the attendant. The Working parts of the accessory unit are mounted in a housing 35 which is best shown in FIG- URE 2 and which displays three numerals to indicate the price in dollars and cents of a quantity of gasoline to be specified in advance by a customer. For this purpose three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 are exposed for individual manual adjustment by the attendant.

The installed unit has three operating connections with the conventional pump on which it is mounted. These three connections, which are shown in FIGURE 2, include a flexible shaft 40 that is operatively connected to the up-counting mechanism of the pump, a second flexible shaft 42 that is operatively connected to the resetting mechanism of the pump, and a cable 44 that is connected to the latch member 30 for release operation thereof. As best shown in FIGURE 3 the flexible shaft '40 is connected to the cost counter 20 of the pump by a bevel gear 45. The second flexible shaft 42 is connected to a gear 46 best shown in FIG. 3 which meshes with a cooperating gear 48 on a resetting shaft 50 that is operated by the resetting crank 24.

Each of the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 of the down-counting counter of the unit is provided with a knurled rim 52 to facilitate individual manual adjustment of the wheel. The three counter wheels are freely rotatable on a shaft 54 that is operatively connected to the flexible shaft 40 for down-counting operation of the three counter wheels by the conventional up-counting counter 20 of the pump. Keyed to the shaft 54 for rotation therewith is a gear 55.

In a well known manner, lowest order counter wheel 36 is formed with a peripheral radial slot which engages a tooth of a pinion 62 so that each rotation of the counter wheel 36 advances the pinion 62 by one tooth. The pinion 62 is adapted to mesh with gear teeth 64 on the adjacent side of the second counter wheel 37 so that each revolution of the lowest order counter wheel 36 advances the counter wheel 37 by one-tenth of a revolution. The second counter wheel 37 is formed with a peripheral radial slot 65 for cooperation with a third pinion 66 which engages adjacent gear teeth 68 of the highest order counter wheel 38. Thus one revolution of the counter wheel 37 causes one-tenth of a revolution of the highest order counter wheel 38.

The three pinions 58, 62 and 66 are freely rotatable on a shaft 70 and the shaft is mounted on one arm of a bell crank 72 for shifting the shaft between an effective position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 and an alternate retracted position. At the effective position of the shaft 70 the three pinions interlock the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 and interlock the lowest order counter wheel 36 with the gear 55 on the shaft 54. At the retracted position of the shaft 70 the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 33 are free for manual adjustment by the attendant. As indicated in FIGURE 4 a suitable spring 74 is connected to the bell crank 72 to bias the bell crank towards its effective position.

In a well-known manner three leaf springs 75 are positioned to make contact respectively with the three pinions 58, 62 and 66 at the retracted positions of the pinions. The purpose of the three leaf springs 75 is to make sure that each of the pinions is at a rotary position for mating with the cooperating gear teeth when the pinions are returned to their elfective positions. For this purpose the alternate teeth of the pinions are wider than the other teeth so that the ends of the teeth are staggered; See FIGURE 9 which shows the pinion 53. When each of the three pinions is retracted, the corresponding leaf spring 75 presses against two of the wider teeth with consequent rotation of the gear to a position of equal pressure on the.

two teeth by the leaf spring.

The down-counting counter of the unit is operatively connected to the up-counting counter 26 of the pump by two clutches acting in series. The first clutch, which is generally designated by numeral 76 in FIGURE 3, releasa'bly connects the shaft 54 with the flexible shaft 49. The second clutch is the previously mentioned pinion 58 which serves to releasably connect the shaft 54 with the lowest order counter wheel 36.

The first clutch 76 comprises a toothed clutch collar 78 keyed to the shaft 54 and a cooperating toothed clutch collar 80 which is carried by a sleeve '82 that is slideable on the shaft 54. The toothed clutch collar 80 is normally urged into engagement with the toothed clutch collar 78 by a coil spring 84.

The purpose of the first clutch 76 is to disengage the down-counting counter of the unit from the up-counting counter 20 of the pump whenever the pump counter is reset by operation of the crank 24. To carry out this purpose the slideable clutch sleeve 82 carries a convex disc 85 for cooperation with a larger control disc 86. The control disc :86 is mounted on a shaft '88 of the unit that is connected to the flexible shaft 42 for rotation synchronously with the resetting crank 24. The control disc 86 is formed with a single rounded marginal recess 90 which normally registers with the convex disc 85 and thus normally permits the coil spring 84 to keep the first clutch 76 in engagement. Initial rotation of the control disc 86 out of its normal position shown in FIGURE 3 results in the control disc 86 retracting the convex disc 85 by .cam action to disengage the clutch 76 and to keep the clutch disengaged until the resetting of the pump counter 20 is completed by the complete revolution of the resetting crank 24.

As heretofore indicated the invention includes means to sense the zero setting of the down-counting counter of the accessory unit. This sensing means may comprise three fingers 92 to cooperate with three corresponding V- shaped notches 94 on the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 respectively, each of the notches being in hub extensions 95' of the three counter wheels. The three fingers 92 are mounted on a shaft 96 and are not only united with each other but also are united with a pawl 98 for rotation in unison.

The three fingers are biased for engagement with the three notches by means of a torsion spring 100. If all three of the counter wheels 36, 37 and 33 are at their zero positions the three fingers 92 extend into the corresponding V-shaped notches 94 as shown in FIGURE 5. If any one of the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 is rotated out of its zero position, however, such rotation cams the corresponding finger 92 out of the notch of the wheel to rotate the fingers and the pawl 98 to the alternate positions shown in FIGURES 4 and 6.

As heretofore indicated, the selected embodiment of the invention includes means to prevent operation of the resetting mechanism when the down-counting counter of the unit is at its zero setting. For this purpose a ratchet wheel 102 is mounted on the previously mentioned shaft 88 that is operatively connected to the resetting mechanism of the pump. Associated with the ratchet wheel 102 is a pawl 104 in the form of a plunger mounted in a hollow support 105. A coil spring 1% inside the hollow support urges the pawl 104 towards engagement with the ratchet wheel 102 to prevent resetting rotation of the crank 24.

The pawl 98 of the previously described sensing means carries a laterally extending pin 1% which is connected to the pawl 104 by a cable 110, the cable passing around a guide pulley 112. When the pawl 98 is rotated from the position shown in FIGURE 5 to the position shown in FIGURE 6 it pulls the pawl 104' out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 102 in opposition to the resistance of the coil spring 106. It is apparent that if all three of the counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 are at their zero positions the resetting crank 24 will be latched against rotation. The resetting crank will be unlatched by manual adjustment of one or more of the three counter wheels to indicate a price specified by a customer.

The previously mentioned cable 44 for releasing the latch member 3t) on the dispensing nozzle 26 is controlled by a spring-powered actuator 114. The springpowered actuator 114 is in the form of an angular arm rotatably mounted 011 a spindle 116. The cable 44 is connected to the angular arm in the manner indicated in FIGURE 4 and the cable is routed to the latch member 30 on the dispensing nozzle by means of at least one guide pulley 118.

When the actuator 114 is in the upper or cocked position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 4, the cable 44 is sufiiciently slack to permit the latch member 30' to assume the desired position in latching engagement with the valve handle 28. A suitable torsion spring is provided to urge the actuator 114 from its upper or cocked position to its alternate lower position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4, the torsion spring supplying the actuating force through the cable 44 for retracting the latch member 3%) to release the valve handle 28.

The spring-powered actuator 114 is also operativelyconnected to the previously mentioned bell crank 72 for retracting the three pinions 58, 62 and 6& out of engagement with the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38. For this purpose a cable 122 connects the actuator 114- with the bell crank 72 in the manner shown in FIGURE 4, the cable being routed by guide pulleys 12 4 and 125. When the actuator 114 is in its elevated or cooked position the cable 122 is sufliciently slack to permit the coil spring 74 to hold the pinions 58, 62 and 66 at their effective positions. When the actuator 114 is released for movement from its cooked position to its lower position, the torsion spring 120 overcomes the .coil spring 74 to rock the bell crank 72 for retraction of the pinions out of engagement with the counter wheels.

It is contemplated that the previously mentioned pawl 98 that is united with the three sensing fingers 92 will serve as a sear to releasably hold the actuator 114 in its elevated cocked position. For this purpose, the pawl 98 is formed with a latch shoulder 126 that extends under the swinging end of the actuator 114 when the actuator is elevated and at the same time at least one of the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 is out of its zero position.

In the cycle of operation the pawl 98 is swung to its latching position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4 prior to the elevation of the actuator 114. Consequently the actuator 114 must be designed to swing upward past. the pawl 98. For this purpose the swinging end of the ing end of the actuator 114. The plunger 128 is urged axially outward by a confined compression spring 134. The freedom for axial movement of the plunger 128 is determined by a diametrical slot in the plunger and a pin 136 that extends through the slot. The head 130 of the plunger has a latch face 138 to cooperate with the latch shoulder 126 of the pawl 93 and has a second inclined face 140.

When the swinging end of the actuator 114 moves upward while the pawl 98 is in its efiective position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 8, the inclined face 140 of the plunger 128 makes sliding contact with the pawl to cause retraction of the plunger by cam action. When the swinging end of the actuator 114 clears the latch shoulder 126 of the pawl 98, the force of the spring 134 extends the plunger 128 to cause the latch face 138 of the plunger head to engage the latch shoulder 126 of the pawl 98.

Suitable means is provided to cock the actuator 114 in response to operation of the resetting mechanism on the pump by the resetting crank 24. For this purpose, the previously mentioned shaft 88 that is rotated by the flexible shaft 42 carries a cam 142. At the midpoint in the operating revolution of the crank 24, the cam 142 lifts the actuator 114 to its cocked position in engagement with the pawl 98 as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 4. When the resetting operation is completed the cam 142 is at its normal lower position shown in solid lines in FIG- URE 4.

The manner in which the installed counter unit functions for its purpose may be readily understood from the foregoing description. Since the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 count down to zero when a dispensing operation is carried out, the three counter wheels are at their starting zero positions at the'beginning of a new dispensing cycle. Since the up-counting counters 20 and 22 are also actuated during a dispensing cycle these two counters are out of their zero positions at the end of a dispensing operation.

The first step in carrying out a new dispensing cycle is to manually adjust the counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 individually as may be necessary to indicate the price or cost figure specified by the new customer. It is important that the initial adjustment of the counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 precede the operation of the resetting mechanism. If the attendant inadvertently attempts to operate the resetting mechanism of the pump by rotation of the resetting crank 24 before the counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 are adjusted to show the new price figure, the attendant will find the resetting crank latched against operation by the engagement of the pawl 104 with the ratchet wheel 102. When, however, any one of the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 is rotated out of its zero position the sensing fingers 92 are cammed outward to cause the pin 108 on the pawl 98 to retract the latching pawl 104 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 102 thereby to free the resetting crank 24 for manual operation.

The three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 are independently rotatable at this time because the spring-powered actuator 114 is at its lower release position and the cable 122 holds the interlocking pinions 58, 62 and 66 in their retracted positions. As soon as the attendant sets the specified price by adjustment of one or more of the counter wheels 36, 37 and 38, the attendant rotates the resetting crank 24 one revolution to restore the two conventional counters 20 and 22 on the pump back to their zero settin s.

The resetting revolution of the crank 24 cannot affect the price adjustment of the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 because of the automatic disengagement of the clutch 76 throughout the revolution of the crank 24. The initiation of the revolution of the crank 24 causes the control disc 86 to cam the convex disc 85 rightward as viewed in FIGURE 7 to disengage the clutch 76 for disconnecting the counter shaft 54 from the flexible shaft 40. At the termination of the revolution of the crank 24 the marginal recess 90 of the control disc 86 returns to its normal position in register with the convex disc 85 to permit the coil spring 84 to re-engage the first clutch 76.

The revolution of the resetting crank 24 swings the cam 142 through a complete orbit to lift the actuator 114 to its cocked position. Since the pawl 98 is in its effective position at this time, the retractable plunger 128 on the swinging end of the actuator 114 retracts by cam action to permit the actuator to reach a position for engagement with the latch shoulder 126. Consequently when the cam 142 returns to its lower normal position during the last half of the revolution of the resetting crank 24 the actuator 114 remains held at its elevated or cocked position.

The shift of the actuator 114 to its cocked position by the cam 142 releases the cable 122 to permit the coil spring '74- to swing the three pinions 58, 62 and 66 into interlocking engagement with the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 and with the gear 55 on a shaft 54. Thus the second clutch in the form of the pinion 58 is engaged by the cocking of the actuator 114.

Upon the completion of these preparatory steps the attendant inserts the nozzles 26 into the customers fuel tank, grips the valve handle 28 to operate the valve means on the nozzle to start dispensing flow and then manually shifts the latch member 30 into engagement with the handle 28 to keep the valve means open for continuing the dispensing flow. The attendant is then free to carry out other services for the customer while the pump continues to deliver fuel through the nozzle 26.

In a well-known manner, the dispensing flow of the fuel to the customers car actuates the two up-counting counters 20 and 22 on the service station pump. Since the three down-counting wheels 36, 37 and 38 are operated by the up c0unting counter 20 during the dispensing operation, the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 count down synchronously with the up-counting operation of the counters 2-0 and 22 on the service station pump. When the down-counting operation of the interlocked counting wheels 36,-37 and 38 returns all three of the counter wheels to their zero positions, the sensing fingers 92 drop into the respective V-shaped notches 94 in the hub extensions 95 of the three counter wheels under the force of the torsion spring 100, the pawl 98 being thus swung counter-clockwise as viewed in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6.

The counter-clockwise movement of the pawl 98 releases the cocked actuator 114 to permit the torsion spring to return the actuator to its normal lower position. The downward actuating movement of the actuator 114 acts upon the cable 44 to pull the latch member 30 free from the handle 23 to cause the valve means in the nozzle 26 to close for terminating dispensing flow. At the same time, the downward actuating movement of the actuator 114 acting on the cable 122 retracts the three pinions 58, 62 and 66 out of interlocking engagement with the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 and the gear 55. Thus at the end of the dispensing operation the three counter wheels 36, 37 and 38 are at their normal zero positions and the price figure at which they were initially adjusted now appears on the pump counter 20 with the corresponding gallons appearing on the pump counter 22.

The apparatus described above has certain important advantages. Since it uses only mechanical components to produce the various control operations, any danger of fire or explosions resulting from the energizing of electrical components such as solenoids is eliminated. The use of mechanical components even includes the cable 44 which extends to the handle of the pump to operate the latch member 30. Another advantage results from the inclusion of members to prevent the up-counter from being reset until after the down-counter has been set to the desired amount for the next dispensing of the gasoline. Furthermore, the down-counter cannot be changed in position during the time that the up-counter is being reset.

FIGURE 10 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 9, inclusive. In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 10, the cable 44 is not connected directly to the latch 30 as in the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 to 9, inclusive. Instead, a fluid coupling is obtained between the cable 44 and the latch 30. By way of illustration, this fluid coupling may result from the connection of the cable 44 to a piston 300 which is disposed in a cylinder 302. The piston 300 is biased in one direction in the cylinder 302 by a spring 304 and is moved in the opposite direction by the cable 44 when the cable is actuated by the actuator 114.

When the piston 300 is actuated by the cable 44, it introduces fluid such as air under pressure through a tube 3'98 to a cylinder M2. The tube 398 is fastened to the hose 25 as by rings 310 disposed at spaced intervals along the length of the hose. The air passing through the tube 398 actuates a piston 312 in a cylinder 314 against the action of a spring 316. The piston 312 is mechanically coupled to the latch 30 as by a rod 318 so that the latch 30 becomes pivoted in a direction to become released from the valve handle 28. In this way, the flow of gasoline becomes interrupted.

As will be seen, the embodiment shown in FIGURE 10 has the advantages of the embodiment shown in FIG- URES 1 to 9, inclusive, in that it includes only components which operate by other than electrical means. The use of such components is especially advantageous in a gas station since electrical sparks cannot be inadvertently produced to ignite the gasoline vapor around the pumps. Because of this, the use of the word mechanical in the claims to indicate such components as the means for operating the latch 30 is intended to include fluid and pneumatic couplings such as shown in FIGURE 10 as well as the direct physical coupling such as by the cable 44 in FIGURES 1 to 9, inclusive. The use of the word mechanical in the claims is intended to provide a distinction as against electrical means which produce a flow of electrical current.

It will also be appreciated that various embodiments of fluid means can be used to actuate the latch 30. For example, the piston 312 and the cylinder 314 in FIGURE 10 can be replaced by a bellows which becomes expanded to actuate the latch 30. By way of further illustration, the embodiment shown in FIGURE 11 can also be used to actuate the latch 30 through the detection of changes in fluid pressure.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 11, a tube 400 corresponding to the tube 308 in FIGURE 11 transmits a pressure which is produced when the cable 44 is actuated. This pressure may be produced by a piston arrangement in a manner similar to that described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGURE 10. The pressure is transmitted through a coupling 402 to a rigid tube 404. The rigid tube extends through the nozzle 26 to the mouth of the nozzle. The pressure produced in the rigid tube 404 at the mouth of the nozzle 26 upon the actuation of the cable 44 is used to actuate a pressures'eifisitive device similar to that now used in gas stations.

Such a pressure-sensitive device interrupts the flow of .I- ,gasoline into an automobile tank when the tank becomes full.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 12, the gas pump presently used at gas stations is retained in its present form with only a minimum amount of change. Actually, the only change is the inclusion of a black or colored dot 200 to one side of each digit 202 in the counter wheel 204 for indicating the number of cents in the dollar value of the gasoline dispensed. As the counter wheel 204 rotates, the black dots 200 break the circuit to a phototube 206, which is disposed externally of the gas pump and in spaced, independent and physically decoupled relationship to the gas pump. This causes a trigger circuit 208 to introduce a pulse to a counter 210 every time that a black dot interrupts the circuit to the phototube. The counter 210 may be constructed in a manner similar to that set forth on pages 202, 203 and 204 of Arithmetic Operations in Digital Computers, by R. K. Richards, published by D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., of Princeton, New Jersey, in 1955.

The decimal indications of the count in the counter 210 are compared in a comparator 212 with a value preset into an indicator 214. The indicator 214 may actually comprise a counter similar to the counter 210 with a value being preset into the counter to indicate a particular dollar amount of fluid to be dispensed or a particular volume of fluid to be dispensed. The comparator 212 is constructed to produce an output signal when the III-- dication in the counter 210 corresponds to the indication provided by the indicator 214. The comparator 212 may be constructed in a manner similar to that shown in FIGURES 3d and 32 of Phelps Patent 2,602,544 and described in detail in columns 19 to 27, inclusive, of that patent.

The signals produced by the comparator 212 may be introduced to a solenoid 216 for operating the latch member 30 in FIGURE 2. The solenoid 216 may be disposed directly adjacent the latch member, or the solenoid 216.

may be disposed at a position displaced from the latch member and may be coupled to the latch member 30 through a cable corresponding to the cable 44. Instead of coupling the solenoid 216 directly to the latch member or to the latch member through the cable 44, the

solenoid 216 may also be coupled to the pawl 98 to pivot the pawl from the position shown in FIGURE 6 to the position shown in FIGURE 4 against the action of a' spring. Under such circumstances, the mechanism shown in the drawings can be retained substantially without change.

In the modification of the invention shown in FIGURE 13, a flexible control tube 502 is disposed within the hose 25 to protect the tube in case the hose should be meshed, bent, twisted or scraped. The tube 5'62 is coupled at one end to a rigid line Still which extends into the hose 25 from the pump P. The tube is coupled. at the other end to a rigid line Sit-4 which extends into.

the hose 25 from the position external to the hose. Suitable means such as a bellows or a pressure switch are disposed at the end of the line 564 to respond to changes in the pressure in the line and actuate the valve handle 23 in accordance with such changes in pressure. As an alternative, the arrangement of the piston and cylinder shown in FIGURES 10 and 11 and described above may be used to actuate the valve handle 23.

Although this application has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular applications, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus to dispense a fluid, the combination of: a main up-counting counter responsive to the dispensing flow of the fluid; means to reset the counter in preparation for a dispensing operation; an auxiliary downcounting counter adjustable upward from a zero setting; means including a normally engaged clutch to connect the auxiliary counter with the main counter for actuation thereby, said clutch being releasable in response to operation of said resetting means; a latch to prevent operation of the resetting means, said latch being releasable in response to adjustment of said auxiliary counter upward from its zero setting whereby the auxiliary counter must be adjusted before the resetting means is operated; and means to control the dispensing flow of the fluid, said control means being responsive to said auxiliary counter to terminate the dispensing flow when the auxiliary counter counts down to zero.

2. A control unit to be added to a fluid-dispensing apparatus wherein the apparatus has an up-counting counter responsive to dispensing flow, means to reset the counter,

a dispensing nozzle, a dispensing valve means on the.

nozzle, said valve means being biased to its closed position, and a first latch to hold said valve open, said unit including: a down-counting counter adjustable upward from a zero setting; means including a clutch to connect said down-counting counter with said up-counting counter for actuation thereby, said clutch being responsive to operation of said resetting means to disengage during the operation of the resetting means; a second latch to prevent operation of the resetting means, said latch being releasable in response to upward adjustment of said down-.

counting counter from its zero setting whereby the downcounting counter must be adjusted before the resetting means is operated; and means to release said first latch to terminate the dispensing flow in response to return of said down-counting counter to its zero setting.

3. In an apparatus to dispense a fluid, the combination of: a main up-counting counter responsive to the dispensing flow of the fluid; means to reset the counter in preparation for a dispensing operation; an actuator movable between a cocked position and a released position and being biased to seek its released position; a downcounting counter to count down in response to the dispensing flow, said down-counting counter being adjustable upward from a zero setting; control means movable between a first position to cause dispensing flow of the fluid and a second position to terminate the flow, said control means being biased to seek its second position; a latch to hold said control means at its first position, said latch being coupled to the actuator to become released from the control means in response to movement of said actuator to its released position; and holding means to hold said actuator at its cocked position, said holding means being operatively coupled to the down-counting counter to become released from the actuator in response to return of said down-counting counter to its zero setting.

4. In a fluid dispensing apparatus having an up-counting counter responsive to dispensing flow of the fluid, means to reset the counter and means to control the dispensing flow, the combination therewith of: a downcounting counter adjustable upward from a zero setting through a range of values; means connecting said downcounting counter with said up-counting counter for actuation thereby, said connecting means including? first normally engaged clutch and a second normally disengaged clutch in series therewith; means responsive to said resetting means to disengage said first clutch throughout the period of operation of the resetting means to prevent said resetting means from operating the down-counting counter; means responsive to operation of said resetting means to engage said second clutch, said second clutch being releasable in response to return of said down-counting counter to its zero setting to prevent a further operation of the down-counting counter; and means responsive to said down-counting counter to operate said control means to terminate the dispensing flow when the down-counting counter returns from an adjusted setting to its zero setting.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 which includes means responsive to said down-counting counter to prevent operation of said resetting means when the down-counting counter is at its zero setting.

6. In a fluid dispensing apparatus having an up-counting counter responsive to dispense flow of the liquid, means to reset the counter and means to control the dispensing flow, the combination therewith of: a downcounting counter adjustable upward from a zero setting through a range of values; means responsive to said downcounting counter to operate said control means to terminate the dispensing flow when the down-counting counter returns from an adjusted setting to a zero setting; means responsive to the completed operation of said resetting means to connect said down-counting counter to said up-counting counter for operation thereby; and means responsive to said down-counting counter to prevent operation of said resetting means when the down-counting counter is in its zero setting.

7. A control unit to be added to a fluid-dispensing apparatus wherein the apparatus has an up-counting counter responsive to dispensing flow, means to reset the counter, a dispensing nozzle, a dispensing valve means on the nozzle, said valve means being biased to its closed position, and a latch to hold said valve means open, said unit including: a down-counting counter adjustable upward from a zero setting through a range of values; means responsive to said down-counting counter to release said latch to terminate dispensing flow through the dispensing nozzle when the down-counting counter returns from an adjusted setting to its zero setting; means to connect said down-counting counter to said up-counting counter for operation thereby, said connecting means being responsive to completed operation of said resetting means; and means responsive to said down-counting counter to prevent operation of said resetting means when said downcounting counter is at its zero setting.

8. In a fluid dispensing apparatus having an up-counting counter responsive to dispensing flow of the fluid, means to reset the counter, and means to control the dispensing flow, the combination therewith of: a series of counter wheels rotatable for adjustment upward from a zero setting through a range of settings; a corresponding series of means to sense the zero positions of said counter wheels, respectively; a plurality of pinions movable from normal retracted positions to effective positions for interlocking said counter wheels for counting down to zero, one of said pinions at its effective position connecting the lowest order counting wheel with the up-counting counter for actuation thereby; means responsive to operation of said resetting means to shift said pinions to their eflective positions and to connect said series of counter wheels with said up-counting counter for down-counting operation of the counter wheels; and means responsive to said series of sensing means to operate said control means to terminate dispensing flow when the series of counter wheels return to said zero setting.

9. In a fluid dispensing apparatus having an tip-counting counter responsive to dispensing flow of the fluid, means to reset the counter, and means to control the dispensing flow, the combination therewith of: a downcounting counter including a series of counter wheels adjustable upward from zero setting; means to connect said down-counting counter to said up-counting counter for actuation thereby; an actuator movable from a first position to a second position to operate said control means for terminating dispensing flow; sensing means responsive to said counter wheels to take a first position when all the counter wheels are at their zero positions and to take a second position when any of the counter wheels is out of its zero position, said second position of the sensing means intersecting the path of movement of said actuator to hold the actuator at its first position; means to move said actuator from its first position to its second position when the actuator is released by movement of said sensing means from its second position to its first position; and means responsive to said resetting means to move said actuator from its second position to its first position when the resetting means is operated.

10. In a fluid dispensing apparatus having an upcounting counter responsive to dispensing flow of the fluid, means to reset the counter, and means to control the dispensing flow, the combination therewith of a series of counter wheels individually manually rotatable for adjustment upward from zero setting through a range of settings; an actuator movable from a first position to a second position to operate said control means for terminating dispensing flow; yielding means urging said actuator towards its second position; sensing means responsive to said counter wheels to take a first position when all the counter wheels are at their zero positions and to take a second position when any of the counter wheels is out of its zero position, said second position of the sensing means intersecting the path of movement of said actuator to hold the actuator at its first position; means responsive to said resetting means to move said actuator from its second position to its first position when the resetting means is operated; a plurality of pinions movable in unison from normal retracted positions to effective positions, including pinions for interlocking said counter wheels for counting down to zero and including an additional pinion for interlocking the lowest order counter Wheel with said up-counting counter for actuation thereby; means responsive to said actuator to shift said pinions from their retracted positions to their eflective positions when the actuator moves from its second position to its first position and vice versa; means responsive to said resetting means to disconnect said additional pinion from the up-counting counter during the operation of the resetting means; and means to move said actuator from its first position to its second position When the actuator is released by movement of said sensing means from its second position to its first position.

11. In apparatus for dispensing a fluid having a dispensing nozzle on the end of a dispensing hose, valve means on the nozzle to control the dispensing flow of the fluid, said valve means being biased to closed position, and a latch to hold the valve means open, the combination of: counting means responsive to the dispensing of the fluid from the valve means for counting in accord with the amount of the fluid dispensed, means operatively coupled to the counting means for providing for a setting of the counting means to a particular amount of the fluid dispensed, first mechanical means operatively coupled to the counting means for actuation in accordance with the setting of the counting means to the particular amount of fluid to be dispensed and with the operation of the counting means in indicating the flow of such particular amount of fluid, second mechanical means operatively coupled to the first mechanical means and the latch for operating the latch to close the valve means upon the actuation of the first mechanical means, and means responsive tothe actuation of the first mechanical means for preventing a further operation of the counting means until a subsequent resetting of the counting means to a desired amount of fluid.

12. In apparatus for dispensing a fluid having a dispensing nozzle on the end of a dispensing hose, valve means on the nozzle to control the dispensing flow of the fluid, said valve means being biased to closed position, and a latch to hold the valve means open, the combination of: counting means responsive to the dispensing of the fluid from the valve means for indicating the amount of the fluid dispensed, means for indicating a particular amount of the fluid to be dispensed, actuator means operatively coupled to the counting means and to the indicating means and displaced from the latch for actuation upon the indication in the counting means of the dispensing of the particular amount of fluid, means operatively coupled to the actuator means and to the latch for operating the latch to close the valve means in accordance with the actuation of the actuator means, and means operatively coupled to the actuator means for actuation thereby to disengage the counting means from a further count upon an actuation of the actuator means.

13. The combination set forth in claim 12, including, means responsive to the setting of the indicating means to a second desired amount of the fluid for engaging the counting means to obtain a new count by the counting means of the fluid being dispensed.

14. In apparatus for dispensing a fluid having a dispensing nozzle on the end of a dispensing hose, valve means on the nozzle to control the dispensing floW of the fluid, said valve means being biased to closed position, and a latch to hold the valve means open, the combination of: first counting means responsive to the dispensing of the fluid from the valve means to indicate the amount of the fluid dispensed, light-responsive means displaced from the counting means in independent relationship to the counting means and responsive to the operation of the counting means to provide successive pulses varying in number in accordance with the dispensing of successive amounts of fluid, second counting means responsive to the pulses from the light-responsive means to provide an indication as to the number of pulses produced for an indication as to the amount of fluid dispensed, and means responsive to a particular indication from the second counting means to operate the latch for closing the valve means.

15. In apparatus for dispensing a fluid having a dis pensing nozzle on the end of a dispensing hose, valve means on the nozzle to control the dispensing flow of the fluid, said valve means being biased to closed position, and a latch to hold the valve means open, the combination of: first counting means responsive to the dispensing of the fluid from the valve means to indicate the amount of the fluid dispensed, means for indicating a particular amount of the fluid to be dispensed, means displaced from' the first counting means and physically decoupled 'from the first counting means and responsive to the operation of the first counting means and to the setting of the indicating means for providing an output indication representing the occurrence of a particular relationship between the count in the counting means and the indication set in the indicating means, and means responsive to the output indication from the last mentioned means for operating the latch to close the valve means, said first mechanical means being operative to produce changes, when actuated, in the pressure of a second fluid diflerent from the fluid being disposed, said second mechanical means being responsive to the changes in the pressure of the second fluid to operate the latch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,996,944 Witter Apr. 9, 1935 2,080,535 Devers May 18, 1937 2,510,093 Ferguson et al. June 6, 1950 2,527,703 Carbonaro Oct. 31, 1950 2,748,874 Harper Mar. 12, 1957 2,804,991 Burleyson Sept. 3, 1957 3,037,667 Chin June 5, 1962 

1. IN AN APPARATUS TO DISPENSE A FLUID, THE COMBINATION OF: A MAIN UP-COUNTING COUNTER RESPONSIVE TO THE DISPENSING FLOW OF THE FLUID; MEANS TO RESET THE COUNTER IN PREPARATION FOR A DISPENSING OPERATION; AN AUXILIARY DOWNCOUNTING COUNTER ADJUSTABLE UPWARD FROM A ZERO SETTING; MEANS INCLUDING A NORMALLY ENGAGED CLUTCH TO CONNECT THE AUXILIARY COUNTER WITH THE MAIN COUNTER FOR ACTUATION THEREBY, SAID CLUTCH BEING RELEASABLE IN RESPONSE TO OPERATION OF SAID RESETTING MEANS; A LATCH TO PREVENT OPERATION OF THE RESETTING MEANS, SAID LATCH BEING RELEASABLE IN RESPONSE TO ADJUSTMENT OF SAID AUXILIARY COUNTER UPWARD 